Weight loss could be sabotaged by makeup, doctors are warning amid 'scary' findings

Shedding pounds can often seem like an impossible challenge, burdened by tough diets and gruelling workout routines.

Yet the real culprit behind your weight loss woes might just lurk within your everyday toiletries, such as cosmetics, creams, shaving foam, and even furniture pieces.

Dr Rupy Aujla dived into the topic of "obesogens" on his podcast The Doctor's Kitchen, discussing how these substances may be stalling your efforts to lose weight. Furthermore, he elaborated on certain endocrine-disrupting chemicals that can confuse your body's system for controlling hunger, fat storage, and body weight.

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He also issued a warning, stating: "This all sounds very scary but we need to have more pragmatic conversations about not just the food we consume but the environment where we consume the food...Essentially, they work in some instances by mimicking or blocking the actions of your genuine hormones due to their ability to bind or interfere with these hormone receptors."

"These chemicals are present in a wide range of products we use daily. Plastics, chemicals applied to furniture, personal care products, baby bottles and food as well."

The usual suspects like McDonald's, ultra-processed foods, and those low in fibre but high in sugar have unsurprisingly made it onto the obesogenic list. The absence of fresh fruits and vegetables only intensifies their tendency to pack on pounds.

BPA is a well-known obesogen, but there are also some unexpected items creeping onto the list, such as non-nutritive sweeteners, which are currently "on the fence", according to a doctor. He believes that many more obesogenic chemicals remain unidentified by science.

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These chemicals don't just influence your food choices or make it harder for your body to burn fat - they can also lead to weight gain and other significant health issues. The doctor stated: "This disruption can affect metabolic rate, appetite control, fat storage and adipogenesis. It can increase the number of fat cells in the body and metabolic changes as well."

"It can also interfere with the breakdown and utilisation of fats that leads to fat accumulation and affects satiety regulation. Most worrying of all, some obesogens can affect the composition of your gut microbiome."

This means that even a healthy diet might not translate to proper nutrition for your body, instead turning into stored fat.

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